I had a plan. It wasn't exactly a good plan. Okay, it was more like half a plan, but it was better than nothing.
I followed Professor Chang down a long corridor to a laboratory. He was quick to reassure me that the xenothium-powered weapons he was working on were still secure. He even offered to give me a demonstration of their capabilities. I bided my time, waiting as the lab techs restocked the xenothium that powered the black suit fitted to a white plastic dummy on a clear stand in the center of the room. Just as they were finishing up, I slipped a smoke bomb from my pocket and let it drop to the floor. The gas worked quickly. There wasn't even time for them to press the panic button that would draw security's attention. I sucked in a deep breath and pretended to faint alongside everyone else. I didn't have much time, only ten minutes at most.
The moment I was sure that the last of the techs had fallen, I sprang to my feet, darted to the mannequin and pried off the suit. Tucking it under my arm, I ran to the window, threw it open and gasped in a gulp of fresh air. Less than five minutes left.
Scaling a brick wall in dress shoes is no easy thing, but fortunately, one of the professor's latest inventions was a teleportation device with line-of-sight teleportation, and when I pressed the button located on the suit's utility belt, I was instantly transported to the rooftop. With three minutes left, I pulled out my pocket-sized hacking device that pretended to be an iPhone from my pocket. With two minutes to spare teh security feed was wiped. But I wasn't safe yet. I still had to get away before anyone came looking for me.
I scanned the Jump City skyline for a glimpse of the 4th Street Hotel. Bruce had a penthouse there. But the building was blocked from my view by another skyscraper. I jumped anyway.
In hindsight I probably should have waited for the professor to finish his demonstration before I stole the technology, because I really had no idea what I was doing. As I'd leapt off the edge of the roof and hit the jump button, I must have let my gaze drop, because rather than the rooftop I was aiming for I reappeared with just enough space to slam into the side of a brick wall and crash two stories onto a steel dumpster. More than just my pride was bruised on my way down. My fall had knocked all the wind out of me, and thanks to my metal cushion, half of Jump had probably heard my crash landing. Staring up at the blue sky overhead I didn't have a good enough view to attempt another jump. Groaning, I dumped the stolen suit in the dumpster where I could come back for it later, and rolled off the edge to the ground. My ankle throbbed and I limped to the edge of the alleyway. In the distance I heard a police siren. Well that was fast. If the cops were looking for me that meant it was only a matter of time before I had an angry Batman breathing down my neck.
An elderly woman walked past the front of the alleyway carrying a brown, paper grocery bag. I tried to duck back into the shadows, but it was a mistake. She turned, took one look at my battered face, dropped her bag, and screamed. Grimacing I read the name printed on the side of her bag: Flowers Grocery. I groaned. My luck couldn't have been worse if Poison Ivy, Bane, Harley, and Joker had decided to take a couple's retreat to Jump City and chose that exact moment to stroll down this street. Starfire was in Flowers Grocery, and a few moments later, she was standing right beside me.
The moment she saw my face she froze.
"You!"
She darted to my side just as a police cruiser rolled up. I'm not sure whether he'd heard the old lady's screams or he was part of the conspiracy to ruin what remained of my piss-poor plan.
"Dick Grayson, are you all right?" asked the officer, getting out of his car and rushing over. Starfire blinked, and I groaned. He'd just given her my name! I glared at him. Starfire touched my face gently, drawing my attention. I closed my eyes and savored her surprisingly cool touch against my skin. She smiled reassuringly, reminding me that she thought I was an 'ordinary' human. Well there was no help for it. My grave was dug and now I just had to curl up and die in it.
"You've got to go after them. They're getting away…" I feigned weakness. The officer lifted his shoulder to speak into the radio that 'Dick Grayson' had been found. That's right, just keep making it worse.
"You are Dick Grayson?" said Starfire softly. Yes Star I am, but you were never supposed to know that. She knew who I was. I'd forgotten she'd been reading the tabloids. According to the media, Dick Grayson was a well-known playboy. Bruce played up the image by surrounding me with the daughters of his wealthy business associates whenever I showed my face in Gotham. It wasn't a game I liked to play, but over the years I'd gotten good at playing it. At least this time I didn't have to pretend to be sincere when I summoned my most charming smile. Star's lashes fluttered.
"I told you I'd see you around."
I think I hit my head harder than I thought, because those definitely weren't the words I'd been planning to say. Sure I wanted to say something suave, but i'd just confirmed the name and face to put with that stupid card. I'd all but admitted that I was the one that sent it, and now she knew exactly who I was. In fact, she was closer to knowing the real me than anyone else had ever been. If Bruce knew how close, he'd…I'm not even sure what he'd do, but years of watching him interrogate and punish the thugs of Gotham I had a pretty good idea that I didn't want to find out.
"Mr. Grayson," interrupted the cop, glancing between us. "How did you end up here? We just had a report that you'd been abducted from Cadmus."
"I was, officer," I said, not bothering to drag my eyes from Star's face. Odd how confident I felt in her presence without the mask between us. "I went to Cadmus to investigate a break in this morning. Professor Chang was just showing me his latest research when we were attacked. Some of the burglars must have stayed behind."
"But that doesn't explain—"
"Professor Chang's research has been focusing on the possible applications of xenothium in teleportation. The thief must have taken me as insurance for a safe getaway and dumped me here before he disappeared. It's hard to say. I was knocked out by the gas..." I infused my voice with the right blend of bitterness and anger. The story was riddled with holes, but no cop was going to challenge me over it.
"Sir, you should probably come with me," the officer tried again.
"Actually, I'd prefer to get cleaned up before you drag me in for questioning. I'll be at the 4th Street Penthouse in fifteen minutes. You can get my statement there."
"Will all due respect, Mr. Grayson, you've just been attacked. You just told me the person that did it is capable of teleportation. You shouldn't go unprotected."
"If I may offer my assistance?" said Starfire. Not waiting for the officer's answer, she helped pull me to my feet, and taking advantage of the opportunity I exaggerated the pain in my ankle as an added excuse to lean against her. I slipped my arm over her shoulder while she put hers around my waist.
"I can take him, Sir. It would be no trouble." Starfire rose into the air. "You will point me in the direction of your home?" I grinned.
Bruce kept a penthouse in Jump for the rare occasions when he traveled to visit this branch of Wayne Enterprises. I needed to get a message to him fast. I'm sure he was swimming in reports about what was happening, and so far he'd been showing surprising restraint by not contacting me to demand an explanation. Fortunately the penthouse had a balcony where Starfire could touch down. None of the servants were there. I was making this plan up as I went and hadn't thought I'd be needing the place.
"This is where you live?" Starfire asked, releasing me to take a better look at the great room. A large L-shaped white couch with black, satin throw pillows took up the center of the room. A single white orchid stood in a tall glass vase on the coffee table.
"Not really. I don't spend much time here in Jump." I gestured at the couch, inviting her inside while I jerked my head toward the hallway to say that I would need a moment to clean up. She nodded, fully engrossed in the lavishness surrounding her. I smiled to myself. The T-tower was state-of-the-art, but it lacked the sophistication of this place. Bruce spared no expenses on his furnishings. My last glimpse of her before I took myself off to the shower was of her bending to smell the white orchid on the table, a long tendril of hair spilling over one shoulder.
I showered as quickly as I could, dressed and returned to the great room in less than fifteen minutes. Starfire was studying one of the large black and white photographs that hung over the elaborate steel fireplace. Suddenly, I felt nervous. What did I say to her?
"Can I get you anything?"
"You are very wealthy, yes?" she asked. I nodded, sensing that there was more to the question. For all her innocence, she was extremely sharp. "You say you do not spend much time in Jump City and yet I have seen you twice in one week." That was not a question, and I felt my gut clench with anticipation.
"Why did you send me the flowers, Mr. Grayson?"
"My friends call me, Dick," I said automatically. She smiled. Before I could stop myself I ran a hand through my still-damp hair. I felt the cowlicks stand up as I did and hastily smoothed them back down into my face. "I thought you would like them."
I knew Starfire well enough to know that that nonanswer would not tide her over. She canted her head and placed her hands her hips. Her eyes narrowed in thought and she took a slow step toward me, one leg crossing in front of the other. She looked different, older somehow and I felt my breath catch in my throat as I drank her in.
"Raven tells me that the note you sent implies that you are the 'secret admirer.' You wish to pursue a relationship with me?" And there it was, the question I'd been waiting for her to ask since the day she'd crash-landed on Earth. But she was asking the wrong me. What could I say? Of course I want to be with you Star, you're my best friend and the girl of my dreams all wrapped up in one. I can't stop thinking about that kiss you gave me that day in the street, and you can say all you want that it was just a language transference for you but it was still a kiss for me and I haven't been the same since... Those were words Dick Grayson could never say, and Robin wasn't allowed to feel that way about a member of his team. Gah, this was so screwed up! I wanted to tell her everything, sit her down on the couch and tell her who I was, what she meant to me, and why I'd been forced to lie. She would understand, she would keep my secret...
The phone rang. I didn't have to pick up to know who was on the other end of the line.
What, was he a mind-reader now?
"Excuse me, I need to take this." Stiffly, I walked to the receiver mounted to the wall and pressed talk. "Grayson."
"What the hell is going on, Dick?" growled an all-too familiar voice in my ear. Yep, Bruce was pissed.
"It's all right, I'm fine," I said quickly.
"In the past two hours I've had reports that our xenothium research has been stolen, Robin was nearly killed in an explosion, Dick Grayson has been kidnapped, and now Starfire is walking around in my penthouse. What are you up to?" He didn't yell. Bruce never yelled. But his words dripped menace, and even knowing that the entire distance between Gotham and Jump was between us, I shivered.
"I know, it's been quite a day," I said with a false laugh to put Starfire at ease. "Really Bruce, I'm fine, you don't have to worry."
"You have one hour to get her out of there and give me a good reason why I shouldn't come there and finding answers myself." He hung up the phone with an authoritative click. I rolled my eyes. Classic Bruce. He couldn't stand not knowing what was going on.
"You should probably go," I sighed, turning back to Starfire. "My security team is on the way. I'm sure the rest of the Titans will be wondering where you are." She hesitated, but I turned my back and walked away before she could ask any more questions. I'm sorry, Star, but it's better this way. She didn't belong in this world. Behind me I heard the soft whoosh as she took to the sky.